Home Blog Page 132

Dutch Quirk #100: Use the power of the ‘social police’ (betutteling)

There are several unwritten rules of social etiquette in the Netherlands that Dutchies love to betuttel (patronise) you about, as if they’re high-school teachers.

The Dutch are not shy about telling you that you’re behaving in a socially unacceptable manner.

Some even physically demonstrate what you must do.

READ MORE | 10 things you should NOT do in the Netherlands

So take your shopping basket to its designated area, or a Dutchie may tell you, “You have to put this here”, while firmly placing it among the others.

What is it?

Dutchies take pride in taking on the role of the social police to tell you that what you are doing is unacceptable. 

Of course, social behaviour is often common-sensical in public spaces.

For example, Dutchies usually wait for other commuters to step off the train before stepping in themselves.

 So when someone acts out of the “correct” order, it’s only human to do a double-take.

Most people may just roll their eyes or even pretend they haven’t seen you pick your nose and wipe it on the train seat next to you.

Not the Dutch.

Why do they do it?

The Dutch built a society based on respect, acceptance, and efficiency by following the teachings of John Calvin.

We suspect this is needed to maintain order in such a tiny, overcrowded country.

Dutchies live on top of each other in every sense of the word, so it’s no wonder you can’t escape the watchful eye of your neighbours lurking behind the curtains of their decade-old houses.

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #46: Never close their curtains

Or perhaps they’re just fed up with seeing your rubbish bags out on the streets a few minutes before your rubbish is allowed to be out there. 

Pro tip: if you don’t think they saw you, they did. 👀

Why is it quirky? 

It’s no surprise that Dutch directness comes into play in these scenarios, as many Nederlanders aren’t afraid of confronting people when they have less than socially acceptable behaviour. 

However, some Dutchies take their self-appointed role so seriously that they’d even talk back to actual politie.

Here are a few warning signs to look out for:

  • Waggling fingers
  • Tutting
  • Disapproving glares
  • Tsk-tsking

If you see or hear any of the above, you will be approached by a Dutch “social police” officer, so beware. 🚨

Should you join in? 

Nee.

Unless you want to be considered public enemy #1 by all of your peers.

Betuttling is the same as being considered a tattle-tale, and no one likes a tattle-tale. 🤫

What do you think of this Dutch quirk? Have you experienced it? Tell us in the comments below!

Looking for a Dutch rental property? Here’s how landlords and agencies try to break the rules

0

House hunting in the Netherlands has become a bit like playing a real-life escape room: stressful, expensive, and full of questionable manoeuvres.

According to research by RTL Nieuwspanel in collaboration with LINDA.meiden, nearly one in four young people is actively on the hunt for housing right now. 

If you’re between 18 and 35 and searching for a place to rent, chances are you’ve already run into some… let’s say, creative practices from landlords and agencies.

Here’s what to watch out for (and what to say hell nee to.) 

You shouldn’t be paying several months’ rent in advance

Picture this: you find the perfect apartment, only to be told you’ll need to hand over several months’ rent as a deposit.

READ MORE | 9 kooky things about renting in the Netherlands

Dutch law says landlords can only ask for a maximum of two months’ rent in advance, but apparently, some owners missed that memo.

And viewing fees? Super illegal

Others get even more creative, charging “viewing fees” just to let you peek inside.

Speaking with RTL Nieuws, Gert Jan Bakker, who works for the reporting centre for undesirable rental behaviour at the !WOON Foundation in Amsterdam, explains:

“If someone places an ad offering a property for rent and someone is interested, you can’t charge for it. A viewing simply has to be arranged.”

Key deposits are mythical, and you don’t always pay the agent

Another dodgy practice that isn’t actually allowed? Demanding mystery “key deposits,” or slapping on agency fees. 

Firstly, a “key deposit” doesn’t exist. And secondly, paying agency fees is only legal if you actually hired the agent yourself (not if you just responded to a listing by that agency).

Add to all this the many fake ads that make you fall in love with a dream flat that doesn’t even exist, and you really have to keep yourself alert.

So, if you’re setting off on your Dutch rental adventure, keep your wits about you, your wallet close, and your sense of humour intact.

Have you ever run into any of these dodgy rental tricks yourself? Or maybe you’ve got a horror story of your own? Tell us in the comments below.

Heating your home in the Netherlands? Dutch gas prices are now the second-highest in Europe

If you’ve already weathered a winter here in the Netherlands, you’re probably familiar with gas prices that’ll make your wallet cry. But just how steep are Dutch prices in comparison with the rest of Europe?

Helaas, the answer is very steep: new figures from the Household Energy Price Index (HEPI) show that gas prices in the Netherlands are now the second-highest in Europe, with only the lucky Sweden managing to best us.

Dutch households pay an average of €1,801 yearly

If you’re wondering what this placement means for your annual gas bill, comparison website EnergieVergelijk has crunched the numbers.

Based on an annual consumption of 1,020 m³ of gas, a regular Dutch household could be looking at a blistering €1,801 bill at the end of the year. And let op: if your home is poorly insulated, you could be looking at an even higher figure.

READ MORE | 14 dang smart ways to save on energy costs in the Netherlands

To put things into perspective, Dutch gas prices are hundreds of euros more expensive than those in neighbouring European countries. For the same amount of gas, you’d typically spend €1,080.18 in Germany and €1,350.48 in Belgium.

person-adjusting-thermostat-in-their-dutch-home-with-second-highest-gas-prices-in-europe
With gas prices rising even higher in 2027, we may all need to be sparing with our thermostats. Image: Depositphotos

(Contrast this to Hungary, where a household’s gas bill could average €109.14, and your wallet’s likely to feel even emptier.)

And that number’s still rising

In addition to this, research by CE Delft points out that the new European Emissions Trading System (ETS2) could result in even higher gas prices in 2027.

While designed to “put the EU on a firm path towards its 2050 climate neutrality goal”, the proposed ETS2 could push an estimated 24,000 households into energy poverty by 2030.

One thing is clear: with gas prices this high, keeping warm in the Netherlands will not come cheap.

Dig what you’re reading? Get more of it! Join our WhatsApp channel or Instagram broadcast to get the latest news straight to your pocket.

Dutch Quirk #110: Speak more than one language

Here’s a very cool trait of Dutchies: they’re multilingual legends! You would be hard-pressed to find someone in the Netherlands who doesn’t speak at the very least two languages.

Not only are most Dutchies pretty much fluent in English, but they’re also skilled at speaking other languages. 🇪🇺

What is it?

Whether it’s German, French, Italian, or other languages, Dutch people are a linguistically talented bunch.

This multilingualism is more common among young and middle-aged speakers. 🗣️

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #77: Switch to English even if you speak Dutch

Monolingual Dutch speakers are rare in the Netherlands and are more commonly found in the older population.

Why do they do it?

The Netherlands has always been a country with a global mindset. To continue dominating international business, Dutchies are well-versed in English and other languages. 🌍

They also love travelling and studying abroad, which fuels their language-learning passion. 🔥

On top of all that, they don’t do dubbing over English series and movies — just subtitles — so they’re pretty used to hearing English.

READ MORE | 11 movies about Dutch culture to watch

The secret to their success lies in their schooling: Dutchies study English starting from primary school all the way through to the final years of high school.

Students also take French or German starting in early secondary school, and as if that wasn’t enough, many also take Ancient Greek and Latin in high school.

Dutch is also part of the West Germanic language family and is one of the closest languages to English, which might help a little! 😉

Why is it quirky? 

We’re shocked at the near-perfection of Dutch speakers’ English — it almost makes us not want to try and learn Dutch (but we still try, of course)!

READ MORE | 11 Dutch songs to learn the language (and culture!) 

Because Dutchies are so good at languages, it makes it difficult to gossip about them when they’re around. 🙈

They can pretty much throw themselves in any situation and be understood by others.

Should you join in? 

Of course! Learning a new language is always a good idea. It helps develop your brain and gives you endless advantages professionally and personally.

And just because Dutchies are multilingual experts doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to emulate their awesomeness. We can at least try to leer Nederlands (learn Dutch). 😋

What do you think of this Dutch quirk? Have you experienced it? Tell us in the comments below!

Here’s how Hurricane Humberto might affect the Netherlands

0

The Netherlands is bracing for a week of shifting autumn weather, with the possibility of Hurricane Humberto’s effects reaching Dutch shores by the end of the week.

While the Category 5 storm is currently making its way across the Atlantic, Weeronline reports that its remnants are expected to steer towards Europe and could influence Dutch conditions from Friday onwards.

The week starts mild with scattered showers

We can expect a relatively calm start to the week, with temperatures hovering around 18 to 19 degrees Celsius. On Monday and Tuesday, showers will pop up mainly in western and northwestern parts of the country, though most areas should stay largely dry.

From Wednesday, easterly winds will bring drier and brighter conditions. Sunshine returns to much of the country, though the daytime highs will dip slightly to 16 to 17 degrees.

Nights, however, will feel noticeably colder, with temperatures plunging to just above freezing in some areas.

A touch of ground frost is possible, so gloves may be a good idea for early morning commutes.

Humberto could make landfall this Friday

Uncertainty sets in from Friday onwards as Humberto approaches.

Forecast models suggest the former hurricane will impact the British Isles before shifting towards northern Europe, but its exact path remains unclear.

Two scenarios are on the table for the Netherlands:

  • If Humberto follows the northern track (via Scotland to Norway), we may experience a spell of rain followed by milder, late-summer conditions as southerly winds move in.
  • If Humberto follows the southern track, we’ll likely experience a cooler, more unsettled path, with stronger westerly winds and a decidedly autumnal feel.

What do you hope for — a late burst of summer or a fast track into autumn? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Dutch community organises silent march for 15-year-old fatally shot by police

Dozens of people came together in Capelle aan den IJssel this week to remember Jerryson, the 15-year-old who was fatally shot by police at a McDonald’s on Sunday.

The silent memorial march ended at the local police station, where participants observed a minute of silence in his honour.

Calls for calm as inquiry begins

Jerryson’s foster mother addressed the crowd with an emotional plea, asking those present to remember him peacefully.

“He was a quiet boy, so we’re going to walk quietly. I don’t want there to be any riots,” she said, urging people to channel their grief into remembrance rather than unrest.

READ MORE | Mother of 15-year-old boy shot by Dutch police to file manslaughter complaint

The Public Prosecution Service has launched a formal inquiry, as is standard procedure in incidents where police use their weapons and someone is injured or killed.

Meanwhile, the NOS reports that the two other 15-year-olds involved in the robbery will remain in custody for 14 more days.

Police believe four teenagers were part of the crime; one suspect is still being sought.

Legal action

Jerryson’s biological mother, who lives in Curaçao, has filed a manslaughter complaint against the police through her lawyer.

At the time of his death, Jerryson had been living in foster care in the Netherlands.

As the investigation continues, Capelle aan den IJssel remains shaken by the teenager’s death, and the tragedy is now marked by a solemn call for peace.

Was this the right response from the police, or do you disagree? Let us know in the comments.

Dutch woman’s toilet protest at garden centre leaves everyone stunned (and soggy)

When nature called at a Roosendaal garden centre, one woman decided that blocked visitor loos weren’t going to stop her from answering. Her creative solution? A bucket, a public aisle, and what staff described as “wet confetti” scattered across the floor.

The incident unfolded on Tuesday when the woman asked to use the facilities at the unnamed garden centre, only to be told the visitor toilets were blocked.

He had to tell her the visitor toilets were blocked because customers had been throwing “all sorts of things” down the loo.

When customer service meets Dutch directness

The garden centre owner told NU.nl that he would normally offer access to the staff toilet in such situations. However, the woman’s reaction to the news was less than polite.

“She went completely mental,” the owner explained. “She went absolutely off her head.” When customers treat staff poorly, he said, the extra service stops being offered.

The woman warned she’d “go sit somewhere else” if no toilet was available. True to her word, she made her way to the checkout area.

The bucket solution that shocked everyone

What happened next left staff, customers, and even the cashier speechless. The woman grabbed a bucket, pulled down her trousers, and relieved herself right there in the aisle. But the performance wasn’t over yet.

After finishing her business, she proceeded to empty the bucket’s contents under the checkout belt, creating what the garden centre’s Facebook post described as a sort of “wet confetti” across the floor.

When the bewildered owner asked what on earth she was doing, her response was typically direct: “Well, you should make sure there’s a toilet then.”

Even her male companion seemed remarkably unfazed by the spectacle. His philosophical response? “If she needs to go, she needs to go.”

A very Dutch approach to problem-solving

The garden centre shared CCTV footage of the incident on their Facebook page, writing: “We thought we’d seen everything. Until this customer decided to empty her bladder in a bucket in the middle of the aisle and then threw it around like wet confetti.”

This incident highlights a broader issue that plagues the Netherlands: the shocking lack of public toilets.

With only around 500 public loos nationwide (compared to Paris’s 750), finding a place to go when you’re out and about can be a genuine nightmare.

According to DutchReview’s investigation into the toilet shortage, only one in four toilets in the country actually meets cleanliness standards, and less than 16% of public facilities pass basic hygiene tests.

Have you ever encountered a customer service situation in the Netherlands that left you completely speechless? Share your most memorable experiences in the comments below.

Dutch history hacked: 2500 years of Dutch life in 7 minutes (VIDEO INSIDE)

We know the Dutch are a pretty strange bunch and, to be honest, up until now, we couldn’t know for sure that they weren’t some mysterious sea creatures that crawled from the water wearing funny hats and performing spells to keep the water away — seriously, what’s up with that?!

However, thanks to a super informative video, we can now fill the gaping holes in our Dutch history knowledge.

Ever wondered why the Dutch were Calvinists? What the Spanish were doing so far North? How on earth Dutch became a language? And what is up with Belgium?

Check out the video below for the answers to all the questions you ever had about Dutch history but never got around to asking!

What key bits of Dutch history did this video miss? Tell us in the comments!

Insiders warn that lines at Schiphol will be horrific next summer: here’s why

If you thought the great Schiphol chaos of 2022 (hours-long queues, missed flights, and passengers crying) was not going to happen again, sorry, but insiders are warning it could.

Speaking with De Telegraaf, insiders say that the May and summer holidays of 2026 are shaping up to be even messier.

So, be ready to dust off your camping chair or avoid planning a holiday in May. 

The perfect storm: courtrooms, contracts, and chaos

A person involved tells De Telegraaf that “The lines are going to be worse than in the horror summer of 2022, when hundreds of thousands of passengers missed their flights because Schiphol was short-staffed. The lines stretched all the way to the control tower.”

“The same thing is happening now, due to Schiphol’s own stupidity. And who will suffer? The passengers.”

But what’s causing this? At the heart of the crisis is a legal tug-of-war over Schiphol’s €1.5 to €2 billion security contract.

Two long-time security companies lost out after decades of working at the airport, and they’re now dragging Schiphol to court, claiming the selection process wasn’t fair.

While the judges figure it out, the newly hired security companies can’t start preparing.

The result? Recruitment is frozen when it should already be in full swing.

Even if things magically cleared up tomorrow, thousands of existing security workers need to be re-approved before they can start under the new companies.

No help from the old guard

You’d think the current contractors might step in to cover the gap. Not so. After being rejected, they are, understandably, refusing to extend their services.

So, Schiphol is essentially standing in front of millions of travellers with nothing in hand but a smile, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be alright.”

@dutchreview Training for a marathon without knowing, thanks @Schiphol Airport AMS #dutchtok #netherlands #fy #fyp #dutchreview #livingnl #holland #schiphol ♬ original sound – The Flying Welshman

Schiphol, of course, insists everything will be fine. “We are confident that the selected parties can handle this responsibility,” a spokesperson says in a reaction. 

“We won’t comment on individual companies, but naturally we will only select parties that meet all the requirements and that we are convinced can guarantee continuity and quality.”

Are your 2026 holiday plans steering towards a road trip? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Mother of 15-year-old boy shot by Dutch police to file manslaughter complaint

The biological mother of a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead by police on Sunday plans on filing a manslaughter complaint against Dutch police.

Her son, Jerryson, was shot and killed by an officer outside a McDonald’s in Capelle aan den Ijssel shortly after he stole a fatbike along with others.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service reports that the boy was in possession of a converted gas alarm pistol, which counts as a functioning firearm.

Police claim that they gave several warnings to Jerryson, and when he tried to run, they shot him.

Mother wants justice

Speaking with talk show, Pauw & De Wit, the biological mother’s lawyer, Gerald Roethof, says “she’s devastated.”

He explains that the mother now lives in Curaçao, but had left her eldest children in foster care in the Netherlands with the hope of giving them a chance at a better life.

Now, she wants to get to the bottom of the shooting.

“Should the police shoot in this situation? That’s what matters to her. And her position is: no. Absolutely not,” her lawyer says.

She is appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the shooting to come forward and is asking for a pathologist of her choosing to examine her son’s body.

Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮